CHAPTER 29

I’d normally head straight home after landing in Las Vegas so I could get showered and rinse the stink of secret military operations off me. Ten days in the Congo, much of it just waiting as we gathered intelligence before we could act, with very limited use of showers, and I was not looking or smelling my best. I had almost two weeks of beard on my face—I was distressed to see a few gray hairs mixed among the dark—and the last shower I had was two days ago. I’m wearing a pair of black BDUs that are at least clean, and I brushed my teeth at the airport bathroom. It would have to do as I couldn’t wait another minute to see Trista.

She’d told me to be safe. That it was important to her.

At least that’s what Kenneth had said on an encrypted satellite call. He’d said, “I’ve talked to Thalia and she knows everything. She said it was important that you stay safe for her.”

Since then, time has stood still. I was about going out of my mind waiting for this mission to be completed. Outside of the boredom of gathering intelligence, it was actually quite dangerous when we went in to overtake the energy plant. Renegade Team Three had five members, and we were joined by three Navy seals as well as a United Nations liaison. It was more than enough power to overtake the scraggly band of rebels who had wanted nothing more than to protest human rights violations by trying to stop the flow of natural gas to Europe, thereby hamstringing the unpopular government. There wasn’t a single shot fired, and the rebels were turned over to the U.N. to deal with. After debriefing, my team hopped an outbound French military flight from Kinshasa where we flew commercially back to New York and then into Vegas.

I’m exhausted, hungry, and haven’t looked this bad in a long time. The last year and a half of wearing silk suits and fucking beautiful women with abandon didn’t make me soft. I still have what takes to operate at a high special-forces level, but it did fucking make me appreciate being clean.

It also made me miss Thalia so badly I would get distracted, and that wasn’t good.

I have no clue what is in store for Thalia and me, but if it works out, I know that was absolutely my last mission with The Hendrix Group. Hell, I’m ready to hand the reins to Kenneth now so I can concentrate and enjoy building something with the woman I’m meant to be with.

My Range Rover swings into Thalia’s small driveway and I note the sale sign has been removed. I smile to myself. Kenneth does excellent work. I had him make a decent offer under a shell company, and Thalia took it. According to Kenneth, she, her mom, and Connie are going to move into an apartment in a nicer area of town.

Or so they think.

Going to be different if this works out for me.

Putting my car in park, I see the front door open and Connie comes running out the door. For a split second, I think she’s coming out to say hello to me, but she cuts left and runs over to a large tree that’s providing some ample shade from the hot sun. She has a blanket laid out with some stuffed animals perched around in a circle, and she takes a seat in between two of them as I get out of my vehicle.

My glance goes to the front door, but it’s shut. I know Thalia is in there because her car is in the driveway right in front of mine, and Kenneth’s been keeping close tabs on her. Been easy since she apparently muscled her way into the receptionist job I promised her. No clue how Kenneth handled terminating our current receptionist, but I’m sure he did just fine.

Connie’s head comes up when she hears my car door shut, and she turns to look at me as I walk around the back. “Hey, Connie. I’m Ford. I met you a few weeks ago when I picked up your aunt.”

She smiles shyly at me. “I remember.”

I look down at the blanket and see she has little teacups and saucers in front of each stuffed animal. There’s a purple dinosaur, a brown bear, a Mickey Mouse, and a gray rabbit. “You having a tea party?”

Connie’s eyes brighten as she nods. “You want to join me?”

My eyes flick to the front door, but it remains closed. While I’m anxious to see Thalia, there’s no reason why I have to do it right this second. In fact, perhaps a moment or two before I’m face to face with her to collect myself would be good. So without any further hesitation, I say, “Sure. Where do you want me to sit?”

“By Barney,” she says as she nods to the purple dinosaur. Reaching over, she moves the bear and rabbit to make room for me. I sit down on the blanket, groaning slightly because my back is a little sore from the extended plane travel, and manage to get into a cross-legged position without too much effort. I sit quietly while Connie takes a teacup and saucer from the rabbit and pretends to pour tea it in. She hands it to me, and I take it with a smile. “Thank you. It smells delicious.”

I pretend to take a sip, and then I dramatically roll my eyes upward. “Wow. This is the best tea I’ve ever had. What’s your secret?”

Connie giggles and takes a sip before she says, “Lots of sugar.”

“But of course,” I say with a smile. As Connie giggles, I hear the front door open. My eyes slide over to Thalia standing on the stoop with a guarded expression, but thankfully, there’s a small smile on her face.

Holding my cup up, I say, “We’re having tea.”

Her lips twitch. The amusement in her voice is evident when she says, “So I see.”

“Want to join us?” I ask.

Connie adds, “Yeah… come on, Aunt Thalia. Come have tea.”

Thalia’s smile automatically beams at Connie, but she shakes her head. “Not now, sweet pea. I’ve got some packing to finish.”

“Okay,” Connie says in a chirpy voice, so I take it she’s not too disappointed.

Thalia’s eyes come back to mine. “When you’re done, come on in… we’ll talk.”

“Be there soon,” I reply softly.

Her smile turns wistful, and she nods before opening the door and disappearing inside. I have no clue what to expect from her. She certainly didn’t run and jump in my arms, but she didn’t scream at me to leave her property either. I’m only slightly disturbed to hear she was packing, and I’m not sure exactly what that means.

I turn to Connie and decide to pump her for intelligence. After I take another sip of tea, I ask carefully, “Why is your Aunt Thalia packing?”

Connie takes a sip with her little pinky out, and I immediately snap mine out to mimic her. When she lowers her cup, she says, “She sold her house, and we’re moving soon.”

I swallow hard, as I did not intend for Thalia to move so quickly when I made the offer on her house and it was accepted. “Where are you moving to?”

“An apartment,” she says with dancing eyes filled with excitement. “It has a playground and a pool, and I get to stay in my same school where my friends are.”

My heart rate decelerates as I realize she’s not going far. Not leaving Las Vegas.

“That sounds nice,” I tell her. “I bet Thalia’s excited.”

Connie shrugs and her eyes turn sad before they drop down to her cup. “I guess.”

Reaching over with my free hand, I give her a little tap on her knee to get her attention. “Hey… what’s wrong?”

When she looks back up at me, my chest contracts so hard I almost wince. She’s got a light sheen of tears in her eyes, and I want to slay whatever monster put them there. “It’s my fault she has to sell the house.”

“No, sweetheart, it’s not,” I hastily reassure her, but she’s already denying my words by nodding her head vigorously.

“It is,” she insists. “I heard her talking to Grandma. She had to pay for my surgery, so she had to sell her house. Now she’s sad she has to leave, and it’s all my fault.”

A single heart-wrenching tear slides down her cheek, and I’m at a loss as what to do. I love kids. Always wanted them, but I’m woefully unprepared and ill equipped to handle a bereft six-year-old with guilt issues.

“Hey, Connie,” I say in a soothing tone as I reach a hand out and wipe her tear away. I’m absolutely not in a position to guess how Thalia is feeling, but I’m going to take one for the team. “Thalia isn’t sad about this house, I promise you. She’s sad about something I did to upset her. It’s got nothing to do with you.”

I didn’t realize a six-year-old could cock their eyebrow so effectively, but that’s exactly what Connie does. I can also tell she’s intrigued. “She’s sad because of you?”

I nod quickly. “I was an idiot and did something stupid to hurt Thalia’s feelings. I didn’t mean to do it and I’m really sorry, but that’s why I’m here now. To tell her how sorry I am. Hopefully, she’ll be happy again.”

“Do you love her?” Connie asks solemnly.

My eyes cut over to the front door, and I mutter to myself, “Shit… this is awkward.”

But no sense in doing anything half-assed. I’m already committed to getting Thalia back, which means I’ve got to open myself up to everything that’s been pushed away for so long, which will be a little uncomfortable.

Sliding my gaze back to Connie, I nod with a smile. “Yes. I love her.”

Connie nods again and gives me a look of such sage wisdom, I doubt she’s six for a moment. “When you love someone, and they do something bad to you, it hurts worse than if you don’t love them.”

Fucking hell. She’s talking about her mom, but her logic is spot on. “Yeah… that’s why I really need to make sure she knows I’m sorry.”

***

I follow Connie into the house. We finished our tea first. She also invited me back for another tea party, and I’m hoping I get that opportunity. I hope I get a lot of opportunities, and I swear to myself I won’t waste them. Not like I have been doing.

Tiffany meets us as soon as we enter the house with a purse over her shoulder. She smiles at us, and then holds her hand out to Connie. “Come on, honey. Grandma needs to go grocery shopping, and you’re coming with me.”

“But I want to stay here and see Ford apologize to Aunt Thalia and tell her he loves her,” Connie says in a slightly whiny tone that would be absolutely fucking adorable if that didn’t just embarrass the shit out of me.

Tiffany’s eyes cut to me and they’re twinkling, but she’s insistent with Connie as she wags her hand at her to take. “We’re going to give them some privacy. I’m sure Thalia will tell you all about it when we get back.”

Connie grumbles but takes her grandma’s hand. Tiffany glances at me. I try to wipe the sheepish look off my face, but she sees it. Her eyes twinkle harder. Nodding her head to the hallway, she says, “Thalia’s in her room packing. The room on the right.”

I nod in acknowledgment. “Thanks.”

I wait until Tiffany and Connie leave the house. When I turn around, I notice the living room has been completely packed except for the furniture. I walk by the little kitchen, seeing the cupboards are all opened and half the contents gone, with boxes on the floor that have already been sealed up. Apparently, their move is imminent and that means Thalia’s been making big decisions. I wonder if I’m included in them.

The door is open and as I near her room, I take a deep breath and let it out slowly.

This is it.

I square my shoulders and enter, my eyes immediately seeking and finding Thalia as she stands on tiptoe in her closet, pulling a box off the shelf above where the clothes hang. I rake my gaze quickly down her, my body tightening as I take her in long, tanned legs in cutoff shorts, as well as a thin t-shirt that’s raggedy and seen better days. Her hair is in a high ponytail, and she grunts as she manages to grip the edge of the box and pull it down.

When Thalia turns, she’s not surprised to see me standing there. I’m assuming she heard her mom and Connie leaving, but I can imagine her continuing with her packing to keep herself busy. I’m assuming she’s as nervous as I am.

“Welcome back,” she says softly.

“Am I?” I say in challenge, preferring to cut to the heart of the matter. “Am I welcome?”

She sets the box on the dresser near the closet, and then tucks her hands in her pockets. She’s standing on one side of the bed and I’m on the other, but it feels like miles apart.

“Kenneth told me everything about you, Molly, and Jaden,” she says, also apparently preferring to get to it. “It explained a lot to me.”

I nod. Kenneth had told me he spilled the beans, and I don’t begrudge him that. I was thrilled Thalia had sought me out so quickly after our fight wanting to know the truth of everything. I hate I wasn’t here to give it to her, but I’m thankful Kenneth was and could put her mind hopefully at ease a bit until I returned.

“Thalia,” I say as I start to round the bed to move closer to her. I stop just a few feet away and disclose my heart to her. “I swear to fucking God I changed my mind. I wasn’t going to send that stuff to Jaden.”

“I believe you,” she says, and I hear the truth in her words. She’s not blowing smoke up my ass. But she’s also not just accepting it either. “When did you change your mind?”

It’s probably not going to set well with her, but I tell her the truth. “Not until you brought me the cake. I put the stuff in the shred bin that day.”

“So for almost three weeks that we were together, you were planning to give that stuff to Jaden?” she presses as she crosses her arms over her chest, and I wince internally. This is not going well.

I nod my head, refusing to let my gaze waver from hers. “Yes.”

Her eyes turn so sad, and my stomach twists over the pain I’ve caused her. I know all about how that pain feels. It kills me I was no better than Molly and Jaden in causing it to someone else.

Thalia’s gaze falls away, and she stares at the bed blankly.

“But—” I say to catch her attention.

Her head lifts. Those beautiful eyes come back to me with a wariness I have to wipe away and I need to do it quickly.

“From the very day you and I first met, I knew what I was doing was wrong. I warred with my own conscience, and I’m ashamed to say the good part of me lost those battles time and time again. But Thalia… I just didn’t know you well enough at that point to open myself to the potential for more. It started out as casual sex, and we were both trying to stay closed off from each other. But every day I was with you, it became more and more difficult for me to keep my eye on my revenge. Until one day… I realized the way you made me happy couldn’t compare to whatever fulfilling that vendetta was going to do for me. And I wanted more from you. I still want more from you. I am so ready to build something with you. I never thought I’d have that again. Never dared to think I’d dream so big as to fall in love again and consider a future with a family. I just need you to—”

“You’re in love with me?” she butts in, and I go still as she takes a step toward me.

I swallow past the lump in my throat, but I nod. “I’m pretty fucking sure I am. I mean… I’ve not actually felt this before, but it’s so damn powerful I can’t ignore it. I think I’ve actually been waiting for you.”

Thalia lets out a quavering breath and takes one more step toward me. “Ford—”

“Thalia—” I say at the same time as I take a step to her. We are only inches apart now. “I am so goddamned sorry I hurt you, and I’m begging for another chance. We can start over or go full steam ahead, or whatever… but please don’t cut me out. Let me make this right.”

And that’s when her smile changes. It’s no longer slightly aloof, bordering on polite. And the sad quality is gone. Her eyes light up as her lips form into a generous, beautiful smile directed just at me. My heart lightens, and I finally feel like I can breathe.

“I forgive you,” she says as she steps all the way into me, placing her hands on my chest. I want to grab her and pull her tight to me—squeeze the hell out of her in relief—but I keep my hands at my side. “I can’t even imagine what you went through, and it sickens me that my brother did it to you.”

“Not your fault,” I mutter, because I can tell she’s pained by her relationship with Jaden.

She nods and gives a slight tap to my chest with her right hand. “I know, but I do understand your motivation. I get that you didn’t know me from Adam, and based on the terms of our relationship, you didn’t owe me any loyalty. I appreciate that you’re sorry for it, but I agree… things changed between us. I wasn’t expecting it to happen, but it did. And that’s why I was so hurt when I saw that package to Jaden. Because I’d started to fall in—”

I don’t even let her get the words out. I’m pretty fucking sure she was about to say she had fallen in love with me, but I jump the gun by grabbing her face and crushing my mouth against hers. She gives a tiny yip of surprise that I swallow up as I wrap my arms around her to hold her to me. She lets out a sigh of pleasure onto my tongue, and I kiss her harder and deeper. I want to go on kissing her forever, and then I want to fuck her, and then I pretty much want to move to a desert island with her so I have her all to myself.

But that’s not feasible, nor can I possibly hog Thalia for my own selfish purposes. She’s got a niece to take care of, and I’m going to do whatever I can to help in that respect.

I pull away. As I tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, I study her eyes. So warm and peaceful and slightly sizzling, meaning she wants me to fuck her, but I tell her something that’s more important. “I’ve asked my attorney to help you get guardianship of Connie if you would like to pursue that.”

“You didn’t have—”

I put my finger over her lips. “Don’t even refuse. It’s there if you want it, and if you don’t, that’s fine too.”

“You do too much,” she grumbles.

“I don’t—”

“You bought my house, Ford,” she chastises me.

I flush and give her a guilty smirk. “Sorry.”

“Also forgiven,” she says with a giggle. “But really… you don’t have to do these things for me.”

“I’ll do these things,” I tell her, then give her a soft kiss. “And so much more. You’re not going to believe all the things I do for you, Thalia. Because I have a hard time believing all the fucking amazing things you do for me and to me.”

She sighs and presses into me, laying her cheek against my chest. My hands stroke her back, and I go weak kneed when she murmurs, “I’m glad I fell in love with you.”

“Me too,” I murmur back. “Me too.”